The Gift of Sacrifice
by MedicalGeek
Summary: No matter how much one tries to change, House learns that History always has a way of repeating itself.R&R Plz HouseCameron.
1. Paying the price

**_Rating: _**_T just in case_

**_Disclaimer: _**_Yup I have the contract to House in my back pocket._

I know there have been different versions on House's shooting, but I wondered what would happen if there was a twist to the scenario. There are always two sides to each story.

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The Gift of Sacrifice

His body was cold, and he couldn't stop it from the sudden shudders that racked it. He was still physically reacting hours after what he saw. House looked down to find both his hands covered in blood, even in the darkness of his office, he could clearly see the blood that covered his shirt and pants. How had things deteriorated so fast? Closing his eyes, he heard the gunshots, saw the bullet whiz by, and felt the burning of the bullet in his body, but he wasn't the one shot. The shots were meant for him, but he wasn't the one to pay the price. How many more times are people going to pay for his mistakes… No matter how many vicodins he took, he couldn't erase the image of a bloody Cameron from his mind, he couldn't stop replaying what had happened thousands of times wondering what he could've done to change the outcome.

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The day started like many others, and that alone should've told House to be wary. The sun rose high in the sky, and his alarm clock showed the time to be 10:15. Damn Cuddy was going to chew him out; he wasn't usually this late. Although he can always give his extra clinic hours to Cameron, she is always the obedient one. House couldn't help but smile as he thought of Cameron. Just because he told her he didn't like her doesn't mean that he couldn't enjoy terrorizing her. 

Quickly finishing his morning routine, he got on his bike and thought "today is going to be a good day." Quickly shaking his head he went on his way thinking that he'd been hanging around Wilson too much, he was actually being optimistic.

Cuddy had found them a new patient, and to the relief of everyone House didn't reject him. They were brainstorming possible diagnosis when a short balding man walked in and spoke the words that would haunt House's nightmares for years to come.

"Which one of you is House?"

House's eyes scanned the man from head to toe and replied, "That would be me Mr. Potatoe head, who's asking?"

The man's stance became rigid as he said, "The man who's wife you slept with you bastard." As the stranger said those words he pulled out the lethal gun and fired two life-altering shots.

Cameron who was standing closer to House, saw the glint of the gun first. With a violently whispered "NO!", she pushed House off of his chair with all her might, and felt the bullets propel her body backwards into the whiteboard.

House laid on the floor, and felt as if he was watching what was happening from a different set of eyes. Foreman had called for back up and was straddling the shooter, and Cameron was trying to stem the bullet wounds on Cameron's body.

"HOUSE! Help me, he hit an artery!!" yelled Chase, finally snapping House out of his shock. Moving as quickly as possible, he picked up the phone with trembling hands and asked for a stretcher and a crash cart. Moving with a deceptive calm, he neared Cameron's body, removed his jacket and used it to stem the bleeding on Cameron's chest while Chase blocked the blood flow from Cameron's thigh.

Looking at Cameron's pain-filled eyes, House prayed for the first time in his life that there really was a God out there watching over Cameron.

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I know it's short, but the faster you Review and tell me your thoughts, the faster I continue writing. 


	2. note

Just a note that the story will be on hold till next week. No worries I will continue it though, I am just trying to finish the first story that I began a while ago.


	3. Friendship's Sake

_**SAL:**_ It's gonna be a HouseCameron, I am just not sure if I am gonna make him pay a bit through.

_**Anon: **_Thanks

_**Psycho strider& Katiepie11 & Tifflisa & Dawn2dusk:**_ Enjoy!

_**LittleDragonFly23:**_ Sorry I've grown fond of cliffhangers.

_**Boys Don't Cry:**_ Here is more, and continue giving me your thoughts.

_**Foxaddict226:**_ I don't have the whole thing plotted in my head; it'll get twisted according to my mood ;-)

_**Colonelheather: **_Thank you, I can tell you my beta doesn't think the same, LOL.

_**Limaccia: **_..lol, well then keep on reading

_I swear I thought this was going to take longer, but for some reason my creative juices are flowing this weekend. I actually finished a chapter here and one in my other story, YAY! So I am wondering if I should torture House a bit before it becomes a HouseCameron, or if I should take it easy on him. So hopefully depending on what you guys think that's how the story will twist._

_**DISCLAIMER: **_I almost forgot that I don't own house, but one can always dream can't they!

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The Gift of Sacrifice

House stood in the observation room as the bullets were removed from Cameron's body. He felt his own heart fall in rhythm with the beeping of the heart monitor, and for the first time that evening, the heart monitor stopped beeping showing a V-Fib, causing his heart to stop along with it. It wasn't the only time his heart missed a few beats that night. He could hear the surgeons struggling to remove the bullet that nicked her heart.

Hitting his head against the glass window he muttered, "How many times am I going to break your heart Cameron?"

This was his fault, no ifs or buts; he was solely responsible for loosing Cameron emotionally, but he'd be damned if he cost her her life. If he hadn't pushed her away that night, he wouldn't have drunk himself into a stupor, and wouldn't have committed adultery. In all fairness how was he supposed to know that the stupid woman wasn't a hooker, she came onto him like a professional.

Trying to ignore the vague memories from that night, he trained his eyes on Cameron's limp body and wondered what he would be without her. Regardless of how much dislike he showed her, she was the voice in his head pushing him to do the right thing. Not that he always listened, but he found himself consistently wondering what Cameron would think of this or that. At that thought he said, "I can't lose you Cameron, please come back. I don't know if I can, but I promise to try making it up to you."

His whispered statement was so low he barely heard it himself, but at that instant Cameron's heart monitor stopped once more. He saw the head surgeon pick up the paddles to shock her heart. After ten tries, the surgeon shook his head in the negative and looked at the clock on the wall to declare the time of death.

House found himself barreling through the door, screaming at the top of his lungs.

"NO!! YOU BRING HER BACK!! BRING HER BACK DAMN IT!"

The surgeon and nurses tried calming him down, and Wilson who had followed him in, tried dragging him away from Cameron's body.

"House stop it, she's gone!" said Wilson shaking him.

"No!" Lifting his cane to threaten the surgeon, he said, "Bring her back or I swear to God you'll be meeting her on the other end."

"Dr. House, I've done all I can, I already gave her 500cc of epinephrine, if I give her anymore and she does come back, she'll have permanent heart damage."

"I'm warning you bring her back! I don't care what you do!!" Staring at the surgeon who still wasn't moving House decided to take Cameron's life in his own hands.

Pushing the Surgeon violently away he took the paddles and shocked Cameron's heart once more. Looking at the heart monitor he still saw the steady line.

Bending down close to Cameron's ear he said, "Please Cameron, I know that you're tired and I know that I don't deserve a second chance but please come back. I need you…"

With that, he injected another 100cc's of epinephrine into Cameron's heart, charged the paddles to 360Volts and yelled, "Clear!"

"House, I can't let you do this," begged Wilson grabbing House's hands in mid air.

"For the sake of this friendship I am giving you a chance to move away." Said House, and when Wilson hesitated to move, he yelled, "I said CLEAR! Move now or I swear on your grave that I'll shock you."

Knowing that he wasn't bluffing, Wilson moved away giving a nod to the surgeons and nurses to also step back from the stretcher.

With shaky hands, House shocked Cameron's body knowing that it would be the last time.

Watching the screen with such intensity, House's eyes looked like they were about to bulge out. For 15 heart-stopping seconds, the screen showed a steady V-Fib, and just as the Wilson was about to ask House to leave with him, a tiny beep sounded and the heart monitor showed a small curve, followed by low yet stable heartbeat.

"Close her up, I'll be waiting outside," said House glaring at everyone in the room with a threatening expression.

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I hope you liked it. Review plz, i love your comments :-) 


	4. Nightmare

_**sweetgreuy: **_Thanks ;-) , V-Fib is when the heart stops beating, it shows up as a straight on the heart monitor. (if you want scientific reasoning e-mail me). I voted like 20 times on the fox pole lol!

_**foxaddict226: **_Aww thanks, I hope I can make you proud :-).

_**LittleDragonfly23: **_Enjoy!

_**SapreAude:**_ Lol, thanks, I hope you enjoy this chapter; it's not as dramatic.

_**ShannonRose:**_ Hehe you've found my secret, the only reason he sounds really like House is cause I tend to be on the snarky/ rude side too. I am not sure yet how big of a part Wilson is going to get, but I am open to suggestions.

_**Tiflissa:**_ No tears please, and if it's any consolation, your review helped make my day better. (cause I am a review addict ;-) ) I also agree with a suffering House, but I'll aim for a semi-happy ending, the word sux as it is we don't need sadness in our fantasy world too.

_**kdip4014: **_Thanks, enjoy!

_**Colonelheather:**_ Thanks! Here is the next part.

_**Boys Don't Cry: **_He won't be as dramatic in this chapter, but hopefully just as snarky.

_**Psycho Strider: **_Heart attack eh?? Good stuff (not for you ;-P ). Lol hopefully this chapter won't look too bad compared to the last one.

**Disclaimer: Nope still don't own it.**

Just a heads up on this chapter, I got the idea listening to snow patrol's "Eyes open". Hope you like it. (Sorry if I offend anyone with the swear words, this chapter just needed some).

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**The Gift Of Sacrifice**

It had been almost 3 hours after the scene in the operating room, and House could still feel his blood boiling at how easily he'd almost lost her. For all her knew she could still crash at anytime.

He moved his chair as close as possible to Cameron's bedside. Slowly letting down the side bar, he made sure that the IV lines were all untangled and with extreme care he picked up her slim hand and brushed his thumb along the protruding veins. Laying his head down on the side of the bed, he listened to the steady rhythm of her heartbeat and felt his eyes drift shut with exhaustion.

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He was standing in a dark room, but his eye picked up movement on his right. He watched as the gunman fired the bullets into Cameron's body over and over again. It was as if he was in a cinema watching a really bad movie set on constant replay.

He could see Cameron falling to the ground, the pain filling her eyes, and her screams, God her screams pierced his innermost being. His body shivered with the horror of the scene in front of him.

"It's your fault, IT'S YOUR FAULT! I HATE YOU HOUSE!!" screamed a bleeding Cameron.

Shocked, House gently shook is head sideways, "No! I am sorry Cameron, I am so sorry. You weren't supposed to get involved in this. Shit! Cameron I am sorry, please forgive me!"

"Never! Never… my blood is on your hands. My blood is on your hands House."

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House came awake with the shaking forcefulness of his nightmare, knowing the truth his nightmare conveyed. Her blood was on his hands, she'd saved his life even when it didn't deserve saving. The magnitude of his actions hit him like a drunken truck driver. He'd slept with a married woman, and Cameron would never forgive him; she thought of marriage as sacred. Even after his backassed attitude towards her, she'd thrown herself in front of the bullets that were meant for him.

"How! I don't understand! Cameron why the hell would you do something so stupid? There is no such thing as stupid love, so don't even tell me it's because you love me. Hell, no one is stupid enough to risk their own life for their boss. Cameron if you think you're getting a promotion out of this you've got another thing coming."

He wasn't going to apologize and give her a reason to let go. He needed her here to keep him straight, if nothing else, to protect everyone in his life from his bitterness. He would talk to her, make fun or her, yell at her, but never be outwardly kind.

So many things could happen if she woke up. She went too long without oxygen; there could be brain damage, motor loss, and so many other horrifying possibilities. Cameron would need his snarkiness to recover, and he was willing to store it up now so he could give it later in excess.

With saddened eyes House could see that his little rant was placed on deaf ears. Throughout his entire episode Cameron hadn't even blinked. With a sudden feeling of pent up anger, House slid his chair back with so much force that it flew across the room banging into the nurse that walked in to take Cameron's vitals. With new determination, House decided to have a talk with the gunman.

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Slamming open the door to the gunman's room, House saw the man handcuffed to a chair and he appeared to be snoozing. Raising his cane above his head like a sword, House brought the curved end hard on the gunman's knee.

With a booming voice House said, "Wake up you son of a bitch. Wake up to face your worst nightmare."

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Hope you liked it; now press that lovely button that makes me all giddy. Review plz!!!


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